Leadership Ability When It Counted

SUFFIELD — It's not unusual to see a high school senior going to job interviews.

Kevin Arch has gone to his share. Only he's been on the other end of them.

The only student member on the search committee for Suffield High School's principal, Arch, 18, helped educators and parents this spring sift through the candidates for the post.

``It will definitely help me out when I have to interview for jobs myself,'' Arch said. He plans to take the skills learned with him this fall to Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he plans to major in business or finance.

A top-ranked student and a four- year member of the high school student council, Arch said he wanted ``to make sure that [the principal candidates] cared about students and would be there when needed, like at games and dances.''

Voting rights for the student member of the search committee didn't come easily. The student council, of which Arch this year is treasurer, lobbied hard for the seat and the school board was split on whether a student had the ``life experience'' necessary to be a voting member of the committee.

After heated debate, voting privileges were granted, 5-4, and Arch was asked by Superintendent of Schools Bruce Douglas to join the committee.

``I was afraid to speak at first,'' Arch said. ``But I got more comfortable as they went on.''

``It was important for me to be there,'' he added. ``Students are the ones most affected by the principal.''

The search committee recently recommended a finalist for the position to the school board, which has the ultimate say on the principal choice. The school board Tuesday named acting Principal Edward Garvey to the post.

Elaine O'Brien, a school board member who also sat on the search committee, said she enjoyed working with Arch this spring.

``I think it was a wise decision to include a student,'' she said. ``His input is valuable and counts just as much as anyone else.''

``Kevin's very mature,'' she added. ``You forget that he's a student.''

Stu Fuller, a guidance counselor at Suffield High School, also underscored Arch's maturity, as well as his dedication to the school. Apart from the numerous hours he has worked with the search committee and student council, Arch was a member of the National Honor Society, the varsity soccer team and his church's youth group, and was a guidance department aide.

``He's the ideal student,'' Fuller said. ``Not just in terms of the quantity, but the quality of his activities. You wonder how he can do all that stuff and still smile.''

Garvey, the high school's acting principal, also noted that Arch ``goes out of his way to help other students.''

Describing the senior as ``a silent leader,'' Garvey said Arch's consistently thoughtful gestures -- such as rushing back into the school to retrieve a box of forgotten T-shirts during a class trip -- have not gone unnoticed.

``Little things like that mean a lot to us around here,'' Garvey said.